No bettor left behind

Dear Mark: What would be the better video poker game to play, 9/6 Jacks-or-better non-progressives or an 8/5 progressive Jacks-or-better? Does it hinge on how high the progressive jackpot is as to when it might be the better game? Jack M.

As a refresher for others, Jack, when numbers are used to identify video poker games, the numbers usually refer to the payoffs for full houses and flushes. A 9-6 machine pays 9-for-1 for a full house and 6-for-1 on a flush. An 8/5 would be eight for the full house, five for a flush.

With Jacks or Better, a 9/6 is typically the preeminent pay table. With expert play, a 9/6 Jacks or Better game returns 99.5 percent to keen players. If you drop the full house and flush payoffs to 8/5, the return drops to 97.3 percent. Except, Jack, if you add a progressive jackpot as an alternative to a 4,000 coin royal payday, your return can exceed that paid by a 9/6 machine.

Therefore, Jack, all 8/5 machines are not necessarily dogs compared to all 9/6 machines. For example, an 8/5 progressive machine with a progressive meter reads at least $440 on a nickel, $2,200 on a quarter and $8,800 on a dollar video poker machine allows you cross the threshold to a positive expectation game. Coupling your proficient play with incentives like cash back and other comps and goodies, a progressive 8/5, or a 9/6 machine for that matter, mathematically can give you an overall return greater than 100%. 

While we're on the subject, Jack, you always want to bet the maximum number of coins on a progressive machine for both the positive expectation and bonus for your royal flushes. 

Dear Mark: When playing on a multi-game video poker machine, if I switch from one game to another, for instance, Jacks-or-Better to Bonus Poker, is the same deck used for both games? John P.

Since each game on a multi-game machine has its own random number generator, each game, John, would use its own distinct electronic deck. Thus, the Jacks-or-better game is dealt from a different deck than is the Bonus Poker game.

Dear Mark: I am confused as to splitting pairs, especially 8s and 9s. I’ve heard that you should always split 8s and never split 9s. Do you find that to be true? Jason L.

Always splitting eights --  actually there’s one exception to that rule: If the dealer hits soft 17, and surrender is offered, surrender the pair of 8s if the dealer shows an Ace. Capiche?

As for splitting 9s, over the years I have probably seen this pair misplayed more often than any other. The correct strategy, Jason, is that if the dealer is showing 2 through 6, you split. If the dealer has a seven, your two-card 18 has the edge so you would stand. If the dealer's up card is 8 or 9, you split, otherwise stand when the dealer shows a 10, face or Ace since splitting 9s would give your two hands a distinct disadvantage.

Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “An intelligent man gambles because this is a means of surrendering himself and his fortunes to the fates before testing his wits and nerve. He does this because it improves the flavor of living.” --Nick The Greek 

Tracing Aces

Dear Mark: Anytime you play a machine that rewards quads, like for instance, four Aces, is the machine programmed to deal fewer four-ace hands? Larry F.

Many video poker machines, Larry, like Double Bonus Poker and Super Aces, have larger payouts for specific big hands, such as four Aces. To compensate for giving you this bonus, the casino needs to take a little something away, and that means fewer payouts for some smaller hands. There is no need for the casino wizards to rig a machine so you’ll see fewer Aces, since they can adjust the pay table with lower paybacks on hands such as full houses, flushes and two pairs.

Truth be told, all cards are dealt randomly, but, Larry, you should actually be getting more concluding hands containing four Aces than you would otherwise get on games without four-Ace jackpots. Why? Because you should be adjusting your strategy and playing for those Aces.

For example, suppose you have two pair, Aces and eights. In a game like Super Aces, you would keep the Aces and toss the eights aside. If you had a full house with three Aces and two eights, again, you would break up the full house and hold just the three Aces. Had you been playing Jacks or Better, you would play each of these hands differently.

When playing a game that rewards Aces, and playing each hand correctly, you should see those quad Aces more often.

Dear Mark: Just for the record: When I win my $300 million Powerball lottery jackpot, I plan on buying a casino and bringing back the deals we used to get in the good old days. Butch B.

I’m with you, Butch. I say yes to single deck blackjack, 9/6 video poker machines, craps with 100X odds, single zero roulette and those mouthwatering $3.49 prime rib buffets. The hitch, Butch, is that the odds of Yours Truly showing up at Butch’s Gambling Emporium are one in 195,249,054.

Dear Mark: You state that taking Free Odds on a Crap game is one of the best bets the casino offers. By doing so, how much will it improve my chances of winning? Gabe L. 

As for immediately improving your “chances of winning,” actually, Gabe, none. As for Free Odds lowering the house edge and winning more moolah, well, that’s a different story.

Suppose, Gabe, you made a $10 Pass Line bet and the point has been made. By making a Free Odds wager, it won't instantly increase your chances of winning that singular event, because the odds of winning your Pass Line bet would remain the same whether you made a Free Odds bet or not.  

The way you make the Free Odds bet an excellent wager is by putting money on them that you were going to bet anyway. For example, instead of betting the $10 on the Pass Line and taking no odds, you can lower the overall house edge considerably by betting $2 on the Pass Line and $10 on the Odds (5x table). By taking odds, Gabe, your expected loss is reduced, which improves your chances of winning some scratch..

Whatever amount you want to bet per round, Gabe, your goal should be to get as much money on Free Odds as possible, and as little as possible on the Pass Line.

Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “Having an ATM in casino is like having a lap-dancer at a Hell’s Angels convention.” —McAvoy Layne, a Mark Twain impressionist